tomtorri
CUBAN CIGARS
SPECTATOR WINE CLUB
T: 020 7730 1790
W: www.tomtom.co.uk E: tom@tomtom.co.uk
63 Elizabeth St. London SW1 W9PP
Nicholas Soames
READERS of this column will, I hope, remember Corney & Barrow's last offer, in March this year, when the great Adam Brett- Smith was on particularly generous form. His now legendary Brett-Smith Indulgence received the most tremendous support and I am pleased to report that this has egged him on to even greater heights for this month's offer. I should perhaps remind readers of the majestic simplicity of the Indulgence: Lon- doners can knock off £6 a case on any order for two cases or more; those living outside London can knock off £6 a case on any order of three cases or more.
Corney & Barrow offered a thirsty tast- ing-panel a splendid selection of wines from which to make their choices, and I hope that we have assembled something here for all tastes. First on parade is the Domaine Les Escasses 1999 C6tes de Gascogne0). This is an inexpensive single domaine wine from the Cotes de Gascogne, an area which, until only recently, was much better known for its superlative dis- tilling abilities. The panel liked this wine a great deal. It has a smell strongly reminis- cent of freshly mown grass on which a large wet labrador has just been rolling. Readers will recall that this is a sign of true pedigree in a wine. It is crisp and fresh with ideas clearly way above its station and, at £4.20 the bottle, or £3.70 with the Indulgence, it is quite astonishingly good value.
One of the panel, a leading representative of the Pinochet Support Group, lobbied heavily for the inclusion of the Araucano Chardonnay 1998 Bodegas Lurton, Lontue Valley from Chile(2). He was quite right. This has a rich, smooth taste and an admirable chardonnay smell and, to be frank, at £6.25 a bottle, or £5.75 with the Brett- Smith dispensation, it is exceptional value.
Readers may recall the outstanding Erbacher Marcobrunn Kabinett from Paul von Schonbom in our Corney & Barrow offer earlier this year. It was very well taken up and so I thought I would try my luck on an even more superior version. The Hatten- heimer Pfaffenberg 1996 Riesling Spatlese(3) is simply delicious. In the course of a rather riotous tasting session, I found that a sniff of this wine gave me the most peculiar impres- sion of being inside the plush Ulterior of an old Bristol: gentle, spicy, leathery smells min- gled with, God help me, petrol. I am assured that this is the hallmark of a truly aristocratic riesling. Be that as it may, it's absolutely deli- cious: crisp, honeyed, succulent, rich and ele- gant. It is an exceptional wine and worth every penny at £10.45 the bottle or £9.95 with the Indulgence.
Next, as we slide into autumn, I cannot resist offering the truly outstanding Château de Sours Rosé 1999 AC Bordeaux(4). Launched in this column by my learned and acclaimed predecessor, it has proved to be extremely popular. I have been drinking it for years and know of no better rosé at £7.05 the bottle (£6.55 with the Indulgence). It has a lovely, summery nose which remind- ed the panel of summer pudding, fresh grass (this time without the labrador) and some- thing eerily akin to Ribena. A delectable wine, it is full-flavoured and, for those who are friskily inclined, has a surprisingly high level of alcohol.
Now to the reds: first the Syrah Domaine de la Jonction 1999, Vin de Pays d'Oe(5). I rather hope that the Australians are getting the wind up a bit about what the French are up to with these country wines. Many of them, like this one, are ridiculously inexpen- sive and beautifully made. This is a rich, meaty, full-flavoured wine which is absolute- ly not for the fainthearted but would be ter- rific with game (or stews, shepherd's pie, etc.). It comes highly recommended at £4.35 a bottle or £3.85 under the Indulgence.
To make up for the extremely inexpen- sive Domaine de la Jonction, I thought that a cracking claret would be the thing to finish with. The Château Feytit Clinet 1997(6) is one of the wines from the great Moueix stable, and the fact is that 1997 in Pomerol was rather better than the fabled 1996 vintage. This is a rich, fat, succulent wine, long-flavoured and intensely satisfy- ing. At £15.60 the bottle (£15.10 with the Indulgence), it should probably be avoided by those about to pay the school fees, although, on reflection, a couple of glasses of real claret and the spectre of financial ruin will simply cease to exist.
Well done, Mr Brett-Smith.
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